Block Heaters Effect on MPG

[fnkngrv]

this is an interesting thread...I have been curious about having a hose heater or block heater myself. The timer idea seems like a great one. Traditionally most folks I know plug them in at night and then when they leave in the morning of course they unplug. So effectively the heaters are working for 8-12 hrs per night and then some of them will plug in all day while in the office to boot.

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by fnkngrv

this is an interesting thread...I have been curious about having a hose heater or block heater myself. The timer idea seems like a great one. Traditionally most folks I know plug them in at night and then when they leave in the morning of course they unplug. So effectively the heaters are working for 8-12 hrs per night and then some of them will plug in all day while in the office to boot.

12 hours of heating time would be a total waste and probably counterproductive.

Unless you could do it at work in which case nothing could be better.

What I am trying to do is mimic the thermos flask of the Prius which keeps the coolant hot so as to hasten warmup and so improve mpgs.

Which could be a total farce. They say the "engine cut off at stop and then restart when ready to go" feature does little or nothing to help mpg.

I know the Prius to be a total fraud but for some inexplicable reason want to try out the "features".